Black Glove

The Black Glove is a criminal organization apparently led by Doctor Simon Hurt. Consisting mostly of rich men and women of a villainous nature (such as corrupt dictators and amoral millionaires), the Black Glove meets rarely, perhaps once a year, to bet on a life-and-death

Contents

History

The Black Glove is a criminal organization apparently led by Doctor Simon Hurt. Consisting mostly of rich men and women of a villainous nature (such as corrupt dictators and amoral millionaires), the Black Glove meets rarely, perhaps once a year, to bet on a life-and-death struggle brought upon some third party by the Black Glove.

The Black Glove was active in Gotham in the immediate aftermath of the deaths of Thomas and Martha Kane, when they tried to use a drifter as a human sacrifice to summon the bat-god Barbatos and blame the ritual on the recently deceased Waynes.[1]

The organization maintains a cover as a group of incredibly rich people who throw outrageous parties, but the precise nature of the parties are shrouded in secrecy.

Apart from its millionaire clients, the Black Glove maintains a standing organization of actors, whom they are quick to use in their schemes. They also have connections with corrupt government officials, able to alter medical records and bribe witnesses with seeming incredible ease and speed.

Batman R.I.P.

One year, Doctor Hurt proposed that the group bet on whether "the ultimate noble hero" could withstand "the ultimate ignoble defeat", and began planning accordingly. In preperation for this, he tipped Batman off to the fact that the Black Glove was interested in him, by activating the Three Batmen (Josef Muller, Branca and Michael Lane), and hiring John Mayhew to assassinate the International Club of Heroes. As Batman raved about a super-conspiracy, his friends and family thought he was going mad.

Assembling a team of obscure villains,[2] Doctor Hurt used a post-hypnotic trigger to bring the Caped Crusader to a shuddering halt. Banking on Batman recovering somehow, Doctor Hurt lay in wait for Batman, believing that the complete destruction of a pure and noble soul is a form of artwork, and hoping with Batman to produce his masterpiece. Finally, to top it off, Hurt had Jezebel Jet, a member of the Black Glove, begin a relationship with Bruce Wayne, to further break his spirit.

The Black Glove also targeted Batman's team, the Outsiders and using a computer virus, they killed REMAC, destroyed their headquarters and left Thunder in a coma. The villains sent a decoded video message revealing their master plan to eliminate the team as part of Batman's downfall, which was seen by Robin and Batgirl.[3]

Once they were ready, Hurt accessed the trigger word "Zur-En-Arrh" to have Batman "shut down", then attacked Wayne in the Batcave,[4] injecting him with weapons-grade crystal meth and dumping him on the street. They also held Alfred hostage and captured Nightwing, imprisoning him in Arkham Asylum in an effort to deprive Batman of any allies.[5] However, they were unable to capture Robin and they hurried the final step on their master plan.[6] Finally, the Black Glove lured Batman to Arkham and summoned a large audience of rich people to witness the end of Batman and place their bets on the outcome. Batman was forced to fight the Joker and Jezebel revealed her treachery, causing Batman to fall in a deadly trap.[7]

The Black Glove buried Batman alive and celebrated their victory inside Arkham Asylum. However, Batman managed to rise back and locked the whole organization inside the Asylum. Batman fought the Black Glove with the assistance of Nightwing and later, he chased down Hurt to the man's helicopter, until the vehicle's crash and explosion on the river, thus ending their master plan to eliminate Batman. Although the Black Glove had anticipated Batman's refusal to kill to be their salvation, they had not anticipated Talia al Ghul's involvement. Within six months, most of the Black Glove was dead at the hands of the League of Assassins.[8]

Members

Doctor Hurt - the apparent mastermind of the organization.

Jezebel Jet - a former victim of the Black Glove, now one of its most prominent members.

Cardinal Maggi - a man dressed in a simple priest's cassock, accompanied by a young man with a doctor's case. Six months after the wager against Batman he was confirmed as dead by a newspaper article.

Al-Khidr - an Arabic man in a Bedouin-style headdress.

Sir Anthony - a thin man in a suit; possibly a British national. He was accompanied by a school-age girl whom he kept trying to spoon-feed, suggesting paedophilia. He mentions that he made his fortune in electronics.

General Malenkov - a Russian military man dressed in a green dress uniform. He was accompanied by his wife and another young woman. The general was blackmailed by Leviathan into spying for them.[9] He was killed by The Joker.

Senator Vine - a short, silent, stocky man in a white suit and a large cowboy hat who smoked a cigar. He was the second-last surviving member of the Black Glove, but was poisoned with Joker venom.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: None known.Transportation:

The Black Glove, either through its members or directly, has access to a fleet of limousines.

In addition, they were able to equip their agents with aircraft in order to attack Wayne Manor.

Weapons: None known.

Notes

The Black Glove organization was introduced during the 2007 story "The Island of Mister Mayhew." They returned in 2008 targeting Batman in the "Batman R.I.P." storyline.

The Black Glove apparently began as a cult using the liturgy of the Religion of Crime, sometime around the deaths of Bruce Wayne's parents.